December H, 186a 1 



JODRNAL OF HOP.TICDLTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



473 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



DECEMBER 24-3J, 1S68. 



ATerase Temperature ^^t*° 

 near Loadon. ,i „,_ i 



il years. r 



Son 



Rises. 



Son 

 Sets. 



Moan 

 Rises. 



MOOQ 



Sets. 



Chkisthas Day. 



Royal Horticnltoral Society, Promenade. 



1 SUSDAV ATTEK CHaiSTMAS. 



Iksocests. 



I Day. 



43.6 



I 43.3 



43.3 

 43.0 

 42.5 

 43.5 

 41.7 



Kight. 



31.4 I 



29.3 I 



31.2 I 

 29.7 I 

 29 5 1 



33.3 i 

 32.0 I 



m. h.i 

 7al8 

 7 8 I 



m. b. ■ 



54 a! 3 



55 3 



ra. h. 

 13 af 1 



8 I 53 



37 



7 



43 



26 



22 



23 



m. h 

 45 af 1 

 53 2 



IS 

 25 

 31 

 31 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Days. 

 10 

 11 

 12 

 13 

 14 

 O 

 16 



Clook 



before 



San. 



Day 



of 



Tear 



859 

 360 

 361 

 862 

 363 

 364 

 86S 



From observationa taken near London dTirin? the last forty-one years, the average d.^iv temperatnr*? of the weekia 43.4' ; and its iili?Iit 

 temperatore 30 9 . The gre.ite3t heat was 53', oa the 25tli, 1327 ; and 23tb, 1S53 ; and the lowest cold 1" below zero, on the 23th, 1860. 

 Xhe greatest fall ot rain was 0.62 inch. 



CHPJSTJLiS. 



E remember tlie choms of an old Carol was 

 somewhat, or^altogether, thus — 



" Hail, Father Christmas I hail to thee ! 

 Honour'd ever shalt thou be ! 

 All the sweets that love bestows, 

 Endless pleasures wait on those 

 "Who, like vassals brave and tme, 

 Give to Christmas homage due." 



Now, we shall do our best to pay that 

 homage to the utmost — we shall eat aU the 

 appropriate eatables and drink all the appropriate drink- 

 ables, and bum a Yule log on the very evening of the day 

 that this is published, and we shall wish ' A IMerry Christ- 

 mas" to ■every one, beginning at those nearest and dearest 

 to us, down to those most remotely dear to us — namely, 

 those who are intending to enrol themselves among our 

 subscribers. 



Now, among those subscribers, we are gladdened by know- 

 ing that we have many artisans and labourei"s, and among 

 these, in a little cottage on a slope of the Mendip Hills, lives 

 one who introduced himself by saying, '" My cot is my own. 

 I gave up beer and tobacco whilst very young, and my in- 

 tended wife added to mine her savings until we could buy 

 this cot : and now we are married, and we delight in beau- 

 tifying our HOME. ' What a word of power is that ! Why 

 do not more such men exist among us — why do not more 

 men have such wives and such homes ? We will reply by 

 publishing the following, written and sent to us by one 

 who is now one of England's most- esteemed and well-to-do 

 gardeners, and whose own right hand, and clear head, and 

 kind heart have helped him up the ladder of Ufe. 



" Whilst the inmates of some working-men s homes are 

 now rejoicing over their roast beef and plum pudding — 

 thanks to their own prudent foresight, or the kindness of 

 others — let us have a few minutes' converse on the rather 

 unsatisfactory condition and the prospects of the labourer. 

 And, first, we tliink this has been owing to a disrelish for 

 general intelligence, a want of 'push,' and too great an 

 attachment to mere locality. For these evils the Poor Laws 

 and the law of settlement, with all their advantages, have 

 something to answer. Young people were afraid to leave 

 their parish. There was something like a horror in the 

 thought of missing the ringing of the church bells, to which 

 parents and grandparents had listened. 



" The change in the law of settlement and a cheap press 

 are already doing wonders. Young men will not loiter at 

 home oa parish allowance : and local booksellers tell that 

 the great bulk of the serials circulating among the house- 

 holds of labourers are mostly of an informing and better- 

 ing character. Every energetic man who leaves the neigh- 

 bourhood where labourers are too abundant, will make it 

 better for those who remain behind. The worst of this 

 manfully going away is that it is always the most intelli- 

 gent and energetic that go : the lethargic and the indolent 

 could never make a way for themselves, and they will act 

 wisely by staying at home. 



•' Secondly, the unsatisfactory condition was often pro- 

 duced by a deficiency in self-respecting independence of 



Xo. IM.— Vol. SV., Kew Se?jxs. 



character. With aU its advantages, the Poor Law did 

 something to promote this deficiency. It was greatly 

 added to by a custom that obtained of paying single men 

 and married men difierently. We have known a stout 

 active young man, and a first-rate workman when he liked, 

 receiving about two-thirds of the wages given to a poor 

 weakly married man, because he had a wife and so many 

 children. Was this any inducement to a young man to 

 put forth his strength and energies ? Did it not hold out 

 an inducement to contract even an impnident union, so 

 that his wages might be raised in consequence? No 

 better plan could be devised for souring everything like 

 independence of leeling out ot a man. Not long since we 

 were told that of women employed in a hay field, the single 

 women were paid one-fourth less than those who were 

 married I 



" Then some good-meaning people, who gave low wages, 

 made a sort of compromise with their conscience by giving 

 doles of charity at certain times. We have seen women 

 and men trooping ofi' to get these doles, sometimes a six- 

 pence or a shilling, and wasting more time than would have 

 enabled them to earn wliat was given to them. No plan 

 could be more efiectual to smother all self-respect. 



•' A great change has taken place for the better. Many 

 just go on as before — run to the relieving officer and the 

 parish doctor whenever there is the least trouble with 

 themselves or their families. There is a vast difi'erence in 

 parishes and unions in this respect, and when people axe 

 receiving fair wages, there is a propriety in not letting 

 them have what they want in this case too easily when 

 they are a few days ofi" work. But a great many of our 

 best labourers vrill not resort to any such help, except at 

 the last extremity, and when thoroughly forced to do it 

 They have doctors' clubs on various plans, but snpported 

 entirely by themselves. Generally each member pays so 

 much a-year. Then, in connection with such clubs, or 

 independent of them, there are friendly relieving societies, 

 from which, in cases of illness, members draw out so much 

 a week, in proportion to what they pay in, taking care, 

 however, that the sum shall be below rather than above 

 the usual weekly wages of the member. 



" Notwithstanding post-office savings' banks and annui- 

 ties, these societies will long be favourites with the humbler 

 working classes, and help to constitute the sinew and back- 

 bone of an honourable self-respect. Gentlemen and all 

 employers of labour will find it to be their interest to en- 

 courage them ; for nothing is so efi'ectual for keeping down 

 poor rates in a district. No better thoughtful kindness 

 could be exhibited than giving a present to the funds, and 

 advising the members to have their rules and regulations 

 referred to and approved by Mr. Tidd Pratt. Labotiring 

 men who would not be interfered with by another work- 

 man, or by employers of labour not so much above them, 

 would be proud of the counsel and advice of the snuire or 

 gentlemen in the neighbourhood. 



" Another cause of this unsatisfactory condition is to be 

 found in the want of prudent forethought. Let a man 

 only sink into apathetic indifference, and believe he can 

 scarcely be worse oft", and a great effort will be required to 



>'o. lOM.— To!.. XL., Oi.i> Shpjxs. 



